Ocala, FL Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Ocala does not run building inspections through a single stand-alone article; the stages are set out through the fee-schedule categories in § 82-42(a) and the submittal rules around them. Section 82-41 requires building permit plans and support documents to be filed electronically through the city's system unless exempted, though the building official may still accept paper submittals for minor permits, three sets for residential jobs and five sets for commercial jobs. Once plans clear review, § 82-42(a) itemizes the fee-bearing stages that follow: commercial building plan review, residential plan review for new single-family and duplex dwellings, plan review and inspection services performed by the fire department for new construction, change of occupancy inspections, and reinspections when work fails an initial inspection.

City Council sets the dollar figure for each stage by separate resolution rather than in the ordinance text, and the building department keeps the current schedule on file. Section 82-48 backs the whole sequence with a penalty for skipping it: if construction is commenced before a permit is obtained, every fee that would have applied, including plan review and inspection fees, is doubled. Chapter 82 elsewhere ties inspections to a specific milestone: a certificate of occupancy under § 82-4 is required before the city's electric utility will energize a new building, so the electrical inspection functions as the practical final check before a structure can be occupied or reconnected to power.